FLASHBACK: What college was like before the Internet

College is a unique period in life that many people cherish well into their golden years.

The first taste of independent living, the new friends and the late nights all combine for an unforgettable, if hazy, experience.

But college was very different just a few years ago, back when the Internet was not yet a standard fixture on campuses. For students at the time, the daily routine —from the classroom to the dorm room — required mastering a variety of practices and customs that might seem bizarre to modern eyes.

Phoning home: There was no Skype. No FaceTime. No cell phones, in fact. So students waited in line for a payphone. At the sound of the special dial tone, they tapped in a lengthy string of numbers from a long-distance calling card.

Connecting with friends: Facebook? Snapchat? Nope. Students affixed notes to their friends' dorm room doors with info about what they were doing, which parties they'd be going to, and so on.

Checking your new classmates out: At some colleges, incoming students could flip through a physical "facebook" or "mashbook" with small pictures of every student's face and where they went to high school.

Music: The notion of streaming music was unfathomable. The person with the largest CD collection was king, and it was in their room that everyone regularly congregated.

Late-night snacks: The closest thing to today’s delivery apps was ordering a pizza by phone, and hoping you didn’t get a busy signal because everyone else had the same idea. The only other option was finding someone to drive you to a late-night diner or burger joint.